Thursday, April 25, 2024 | St. Lawrence County, NY
CANTON --Following an 8-year review more than 17,000 acres of land will be added to St. Lawrence County's Ag District 1, which covers the western portion of the county. Towns with the greatest amount …
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CANTON --Following an 8-year review more than 17,000 acres of land will be added to St. Lawrence County's Ag District 1, which covers the western portion of the county.
Towns with the greatest amount of land to be added to Ag District 1 are Pitcairn, Edwards, Dekalb and Rossie. These additions are based on identifying farmland with agricultural valuations; examining real property land classifications; and a visual inspection of farmland using satellite imagery and/or a roadside survey.
“Since the creation of the County’s online Ag Atlas, this is the first review we were able to simultaneously examine lands with ag valuations, ag district boundaries, zoning, and the most recent aerial imagery” Planner II, Matilda M. Larson said. “Our office then partnered with Soil and Water Conservation staff to verify ag uses by way of a roadside survey. This process allowed us to identify farmland that was previously not in an ag district.” Larson said all affected property owners received a written notice, and all affected municipalities received a poster-sized map depicting which lands are recommended for addition to the district.
Larson also explained the benefits of being in an ag district.
“The example I use is, let’s say a buyer from downstate buys land that’s in an ag district. When they sign the papers to purchase the property, they receive a notice that states this. If their property is next to a farm in the ag district, and that farm is not violating any regulations, that farm has a right to farm and is protected from nuisance lawsuits.” Larson also said adding the land does not change a property’s taxes, and it does not change a property’s zoning.
St. Lawrence County has scheduled a public hearing to give the public the opportunity to comment on changes to Agricultural Districts 1 and 2 as recommended by the County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board.
The public hearing will take place on Monday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Planning Office, located on the 2nd floor of the County Public Safety
Complex at 49 ½ Court Street in Canton. Those who cannot attend the public hearing can email written comments to: mlarson@stlawco.org by Monday, May 23.
